Menu

Secrets of the Superhuman Food Pyramid: Benefits of Kiwi

Being also small, furry and brown, the kiwifruit or kiwi for short is named after the bird that is New Zealand’s national symbol. Use of the name is fairly recent however.

Kiwis (the fruit) are actually native in China. It was in the beginning of the 20th century that seeds of the fruit were brought to and cultivated in New Zealand. One of the Chinese names for it is yang tao which literally means “sunny peach”. New Zealanders called it Chinese gooseberries. When the fruit eventually made its way to the U.S., it was initially called melonette. It was only around the early 1960’s that the fruit’s current common name was finally established.

It’s easy to underestimate such a relatively dull-looking fruit, but the kiwi is actually packed with a lot of vitamins and phytonutrients. Read on to learn the benefits of kiwi and how it can help you reach your Superhuman health goals.

Kiwi Benefits:

Citrus fruits like grapefruit aren’t the only abundant sources of Vitamin C. 100 grams of fresh raw kiwi can supply you with 92 milligrams of this vitamin, and that’s already a little above your body’s minimum daily requirement.

Other nutrients significantly rich in kiwi are Vitamins B6 (pyridoxine) and K. There is .63 mg of this vitamin to be had for every 100 grams of this fruit. While it may not seem like a large amount, that already fulfills 48% of your body’s daily need for Vitamin B6. This is the vitamin that helps your body produce the chemicals necessary for nerve cells to transmit signals and is therefore essential for a healthy brain and nervous system.

The amount of Vitamin K in kiwi meanwhile provides 38% daily value. The important role of this vitamin is to help your blood to properly coagulate and enable your body to use calcium for building bones.

Besides beta-carotene, the other carotenoids present in kiwi are lutein and zeaxanthin. These substances aren’t converted into Vitamin A retinal like beta-carotene but they are actual components of the eye. Specifically, they are part of the macula and they help block light near the ultraviolet range from reaching the internal structure of the retina. This kind of light can cause oxidative damage to the eyes which is why these two carotenoids are also considered antioxidants.

Kiwi Practical Uses:

As kiwis are cultivated in various regions across the globe, the fruit is available all year round. It is still a better practice to buy from local producers though when the fruit is in season. There’s a better chance that you’re getting fresh and tree-ripened kiwis.

There are some varieties of kiwi that are actually small enough to be uniformly cut with an egg slicer. Then there are types like the Golden kiwifruit whose skin is smooth instead of furry which means you can eat the whole fruit including the skin. One reason why it’s also beneficial to eat the peel is that most of the dietary fiber (3 grams for every 100 g) is found there.

When using the fruit in a dessert recipe, you have to consider that kiwis contain actinidin, an enzyme that breaks down protein. This makes it quite incompatible with dairy products and gelatin mixes. The substance dissolves milk proteins and the collagen in gelatin.

On the other hand, actinidin is commercially used as a meat tenderizer. So kiwis could be handy when preparing meat dishes. Cooking or heating the fruit deactivates this enzyme but take note that this procedure could also burn up the active nutrients and render the fruit less beneficial.

In the next post, I’ll tell you the benefits of mangoes that will help you in your quest to Become Superhuman.

If you have questions, comments or feedback about the benefits of kiwi, the Superhuman Food Pyramid, this website, or other aspects of Becoming Superhuman, then leave your thoughts below, as well as any tips you have on the benefits of kiwi.

Author Bio: Ben Greenfield

Ben Greenfield is head coach of the Superhuman Coach Network, and an author, speaker and consultant. His blog is at http://www.bengreenfieldfitness.com and he can be hired for coaching at http://www.greenfieldfitnesssystems.com.

His credentials include:

Bachelor’s and master’s degrees from University of Idaho in sports science and exercise physiology Personal training and strength and conditioning certifications from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) Sports nutrition certification from the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) Advanced bicycle fitting certification from Serotta, the “Harvard” of bicycle fitting schools Over 10 years experience in coaching professional, collegiate, and recreational athletes from all sports

Ben hosts the highly popular fitness, nutrition and wellness website at http://www.bengreenfieldfitness.com, which features blogs, podcasts, and product reviews from Ben. He is a frequent contributor to Triathlete magazine and LAVA magazine, Endurance Planet (http://www.enduranceplanet.com), the outdoor sports magazine OutThere Monthly and has been featured in WebMD, the Spokesman-Review, Inlander magazine, In-Health magazine, Fit-Pro magazine, PTontheNet, Prevention magazine, Women’s Running magazine, and Inside Triathlon magazine.

As a public speaker on fitness, nutrition, and training, Ben hosts one of the top ranked fitness podcasts in iTunes, the Get-Fit Guy (http://www.GetFitGuy.com), and has been a keynote lecturer at the Hawaii Ironman World Championships Medical Conference, the Coeur D’ Alene Ironman Medical Conference, USAT Art & Science of Coaching Symposium, Can-Fit-Pro Conference, Pilgrim’s Wellness Center Education Series, Fleet Feet Sports Endurance Sports Clinic and REI Nutrition Clinic. He sits on the board of directors for Tri-Fusion triathlon team, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and is the official coach for the YoungTri. As a triathlon coach and competitor, Ben competes at Ironman and Half-Ironman World Championships, holds a ranking as of USAT’s top ranked age grouper triathletes, and competes in 15-20 triathlons each year, both nationally and internationally.

Disclaimer: This blog is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed. The use of information on this blog or materials linked from this blog is at the user's own risk. The content of this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard, or delay in obtaining, medical advice for any medical condition they may have, and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such conditions.